Tunnelz

China trip guide

Does WhatsApp work in China?

Not without help. WhatsApp is blocked in mainland China, on hotel Wi-Fi and Chinese SIMs alike. A roaming eSIM usually keeps it working on your phone’s mobile data, a VPN covers Wi-Fi and a laptop, and WeChat is the app people in China use for messages.

Updated

Mainland ChinaPeople you’re messaging Phone, mobile dataroaming eSIM Phone, hotel Wi-Fia Chinese network Mac, hotel Wi-Fiwith a VPN routed outside mainland China your server WhatsApp is blocked on Chinese networks WhatsAppPhone, mobile dataroaming eSIM, routed outside mainland China Phone, hotel Wi-Fia Chinese networkblocked Mac, hotel Wi-Fiwith a VPNyour server
Fig. 01
How WhatsApp gets through, or doesn’t, on each connection. Simplified. Check how an eSIM plan routes data before you buy it.

What happens to WhatsApp in China

WhatsApp is blocked in mainland China, and so are Signal and Telegram. In April 2024, China’s internet regulator also had Apple take WhatsApp, Signal and Telegram out of its App Store in China.

So install and update WhatsApp at home, and plan how you’ll reach it once you land.

Three ways to keep WhatsApp

  • On your phone’s mobile data: many roaming and travel eSIMs send your data on through a network outside mainland China, so WhatsApp keeps working. Check how a plan routes data before you buy it.

  • On hotel Wi-Fi: the Wi-Fi is a Chinese network, so WhatsApp is blocked there. You need a VPN.

  • On your Mac: the WhatsApp app for Mac does messages, and video and voice calls, groups included. A linked computer keeps working even when your phone is offline or its battery is dead.

Fig. 02
The three situations to plan for.

Set up WeChat before you fly

In China, WeChat is the everyday app for messages, and much more. Set it up at home, where it’s easier:

  1. 1. Sign up with your own number. Pick your country code. The code may come as an automated voice call, so don’t block international calls.

  2. 2. Be ready for a check. WeChat can ask a friend who already uses it to scan a QR code on your screen. That’s easier to sort out before you leave.

  3. 3. Swap WeChat IDs with the people you’ll meet, and tell family at home how to reach you.

Fig. 03
Set WeChat up at home, where it’s easier.

Keep in mind that apps such as WeChat must follow China’s censorship rules, and communications in China may be monitored.

Where Tunnelz fits

Tunnelz is for the Mac side. It sets up your own server, not shared with thousands, to get WhatsApp for Mac past the blocks on hotel Wi-Fi. The Smart route sends Chinese sites direct, so WeChat keeps working next to WhatsApp. If your server is ever blocked, Replace Server can set up a new one in minutes, as long as the app can reach Vultr. In China that may take eSIM data or another network (how).

  • WeChat and other Chinese sites

    Go direct, so WeChat keeps working next to WhatsApp.

  • WhatsApp for Mac

    Goes through your own server, not shared with thousands.

Fig. 04
The Smart route on your Mac, simplified. No route is promised to stay open.

Only have a phone? A roaming eSIM usually covers this today; Tunnelz for iPhone is coming.

Questions

Can I download WhatsApp once I’m in China?
Don’t count on it. WhatsApp is blocked there, and it was taken out of Apple’s App Store in China in April 2024. Install and update it at home.
Does WhatsApp work with a roaming eSIM in China?
Usually, on the eSIM’s own mobile data, if the plan routes data outside mainland China. On hotel Wi-Fi the block applies again.
Can I use WhatsApp on my Mac in China?
With a VPN switched on, it can. WhatsApp for Mac also keeps working when your phone is offline.
Do I need WeChat for a trip to China?
It helps a lot, because it’s how people in China message. Set it up at home: sign-up may need a voice call or a friend who already uses WeChat to scan a code.
Does Tunnelz work on iPhone?
Not yet. Tunnelz runs on an Apple silicon Mac with macOS 14 or later today, and the iPhone and iPad app is coming to the App Store. For WhatsApp on a phone, a roaming eSIM usually covers it today.

Sources